“Science and Religion” and “The Promised Day Is Come” are upcoming, three-month-long online courses to be offered by the Wilmette Institute, an educational agency of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.

Starting March 1, “Science and Religion” will explore what Shoghi Effendi called “the two most potent forces in human life” and the connections between them. It also will look at their historical relationship, especially since the advent of Christianity and Islam; compare their similarities and differences; consider how current debates on science and religion relate to the Baha'i writings; and provide a deeper appreciation of the Baha'i belief in the harmony of science and religion.

The second course, which begins April 1, examines “The Promised Day Is Come,” Shoghi Effendi’s pre-World War II letter explaining the moral and social chaos in the world and offering assurance that God has not abandoned humanity.

Tuition for each course is $150 for individuals, $120 for senior citizens and full-time university students, and $300 for a group. The Wilmette Institute offers a limited number of partial, need-based scholarships to individuals, available in $30 increments.

Participants may register for individual or group study. In individual study, students are part of an online learning community that includes other students, one or more faculty members who serve as guides and a mentor.

Group study involves at least two, and up to 12, friends with whom students hold online discussions on a regular basis. Groups have access to one or more faculty members, mentors and an online learning community of other students.

Established in 1995, the Wilmette Institute offers 15-20 courses a year to approximately 400 participants from the United States, Canada and 28 other countries. Contact the Institute at its website, by email (info@wilmetteinstitute.org), phone (877-945-6388), fax (847-733-3563) or mail (1233 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201-2886.